Wanderlei Silva Has Short List Of Would-Be Opponents

Wanderlei Silva’s return to MMA did not go as he had hoped, as “The Axe Murderer” suffered a loss to Chael Sonnen.

Knowing that at 41 years old, his days are numbered in the sport, Belfort is looking to go out with a bang.

“There are several that could be (my next opponent). A Quinton Jackson, a Dan Henderson, a Vitor Belfort. There are several who could be a good opponent and make a good fight,” Silva told Portal do Vale Tudo recently. “But I wanted to get a guy standing, who would agree to get out in hand. He wanted to test me. I wanted to knockdown, get knockdown, and it did not happen in my last fight. He just wanted to know how to hold on. I wanted to get a changer, and I’m sure that would be a show.”

Throughout his career, the Brazilian has faced off against a list of who’s who in MMA. His last win, though, came in 2013 when he defeated Brian Stann.

“I want to make great presentations, with name faces, at big events so that we can get the attention of the people,” he said. “In my last fight I achieved that goal, which was to get as many people as possible, and beat the record with the highest audience in Bellator’s history. And that made me very happy. Many people who did not talk about fighting, the next day were talking about my fight and I was very happy. This is my focus.”